A typical dance pole is a hollow brass pole approximately 8 feet in length that extends from a floor to a ceiling. Metal tubes having a diameter of around 2 inches are generally well suited for the typical uses of dancers. The diameter is sufficient to provide adequate stiffness, friction, and appearance at a reasonable cost. Larger diameters are generally usually less suitable to accommodate a user's hands. Both fixed and rotating metal dance poles are widely used. Polished brass and stainless steel are widely used for dance poles. An assortment of coatings may be applied over these metals to accommodate the decor of nightclubs, dance studios and homes. Metals other than brass and stainless may be employed. However, for proper use, deflection of the pole must be minimized when force is applied to it via a dancer. Especially for professional use, repeated acrobatics must be accommodated without excessive deflection or deformation. For this reason, many non-metallic materials are poorly suited for use in dance poles, as are materials that cannot be easily made smooth and non-splintering. A disadvantage of metal poles is that they are opaque. Decorative features cannot be inserted in the metal poles for viewing external to the poles.
Certain composite materials, such as fiberglass and carbon fiber, have sufficient strength and flex properties for use as dance poles, however, these composites, as with metals, are opaque.
Previous non-metallic designs include solid transparent plastic dance poles with illumination provided from above and/or below the pole. However, these poles are not sufficiently rigid and suffer from undesired deflection during use when of the necessary height. Hollow tubes containing illumination would suffer from even worse and unsatisfactory deflection.
There remains, therefore, a need for a dance pole having sufficient strength and flex resistance for extended use that enables internal decoration, including lighting.